(Photo Credit: Center for International Forestry Research, Flickr Creative Commons)The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) reinstated Nestlé’s membership this week after the company submitted a time-bound action plan to achieve 100% RSPO certified sustainable palm oil by 2023.
Earlier this month the organization had suspended Nestlé over lax reporting and failure to pay the membership fee, which counted as a breach of the RSPO statutes.
As part of the organization’s required process, members must submit annual reports gauging their progress toward 100% RSPO-certified sustainable palm oil.
“The RSPO is more than a certification scheme, it is a commitment scheme,” said Darrel Webber, the organization’s CEO. “Nestlé has pledged to step up their efforts in working actively on solutions within the RSPO system, via active participation. It’s with this in mind that we are welcoming Nestlé back to the Roundtable, confident they will live up to our membership obligations and succeed in delivering on their time-bound plan.”
Major companies have started focusing on palm oil sourcing within their supply chains after risks like deforestation and forced labor in the industry came to light. The RSPO’s membership currently includes consumer goods and manufacturing companies such as General Mills, Kellogg Company, Mondelez International, and Mars, Inc.
“Transparency in our supply chain has always been a priority,” said Benjamin Ware, Nestlé’s global head of responsible sourcing. “Nestlé supports RSPO’s role in driving industry wide change and appreciates its decision following the submission of our action plan, which focuses on increasing traceability primarily through segregated RSPO palm oil. This builds on Nestlé’s ongoing activities to achieve a traceable and responsibly sourced palm oil supply chain.”
Nestlé's certificates and membership status were reinstated effective July 16, 2018.
